Milk chocolate tops the list of comfort food for a nation facing up to the arrival of winter, according to research out today.

Cheese and Yorkshire pudding are less likely contenders in the top 10, the study found.

According to the Live Well for Less Index from Sainsbury's, cake, ice-cream, biscuits and crisps remain favourite comfort foods.

The top 10 in order was: Milk chocolate; cake; ice cream; biscuits; crisps; cheese; crumpets; strawberries; hot cross buns and Yorkshire puddings. Sainsbury's has worked with psychologist Chireal Shallow to identify how these foods can help overcome the winter blues.

She said: "At this time of year, many of us crave comfort food for that much-needed lift. One reason food is comforting is that a snack filled with sugar or fat can give people a fast 'bump of euphoria' which makes them feel good.

"People also link comfort foods with happy memories, people they love, or feelings they want to recapture. It's not the food itself that provides comfort; it's the feelings that the food stimulates."